Fort Worden State Park and Point Wilson Light House

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Andy Porter

I accompanied my son’s 5th grade class on an overnight field trip to Fort Worden State Park, in Port Townsend, Washington last week. The kids all had fun, feeding an octopus and dissecting a fish…

And I had fun taking pictures. Lighthouses are, of course, huge magnets for photographers.

The old fort has a maze of concrete tunnels for artillery.

And the flowers were blooming!

So, it was a great time for all.

: Yellow Lupine

: Lighthouse and grass

: Ferry Ride!

: Rusted out

: On the beach, doing skits

: Point Wilson Lighthouse

: Point Wilson Lighthouse

: Orca Museum

: On the ferry

: Point Wilson Lighthouse

: Rock Garden

: Lupine and Lighthouse

: Point Wilson Lighthouse

: Fort Worden

: Trees

: Trail along the sea

: Sunset Beach shot

: Morte trees and flowers

: Rock Garden

: Lupine at twilight

Editing Night Sky Images

Posted on May 23, 2015 by Andy Porter

I have been working with Photoshop for some time. My learning curve has been rather slow and often painful! Slowly I learn new techniques for manipulating light and shadows.
Images of the night sky demand more work than daytime shots. The camera I have, a Canon 6D, and the 14mm lens I use allow me to set the exposure for 30 seconds.
In the unedited images you can see the strip of the Milky Way and in the edited images it pops out and grabs you!
Here is an image I shot a few years ago with a Canon T2i, a 15mm lens at 30 sec. and 800iso. Its a bit dark!

Now the newly edited version.

This next shot is from Zion National Park. I used the Canon 6D with a 14mm lens at 15 sec.

Here is the edited image.

Liberty Bell and the North Cascades Highway, Canon 6D, 14mm lens at 25 sec. Before

And after.

The last shot is of Mount Rainier from Crystal Mountain. Again using the 6D and the 14mm lens at 30 sec.

If you would like to attend a Night Sky Photo Tour and learn how to capture such images, here is the link with dates and prices!

And the final version.

For those of you who are already Photoshop savvy, the most useful tutorials and techniques for editing starry night shots I have found are at Dave Morrow Photography.

If you would like personalized Photoshop Lessons with me online, here is the link!

Happy Shooting and Editing!

Recent publications !

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Andy Porter

Here are 5 recent publications of articles I’ve written along with images.

This first link is to an article I wrote for photo students called Elements of Coolness. It was published by the company that does my canvas wrap printing, Canvas on Demand.

Surround Yourself – Canvas on Demand Lifestyle – Elements of Coolness

The Washington National Park Fund is a local non-profit raising money for Washington’s 3 National Parks: Mount Rainier, Olympic and North Cascades National Park.

Washington’s National Park Fund – Why I love Sahale Glacier Camp

The Nature Conservancy is a well-known organization dedicated to preserving wild lands. I have donated many images to their cause and am happy to be a part of their efforts.

The Nature Conservancy – Enchantments

Colchuck Lake, Enchantments, Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Cascade Loop Magazine is a local travel guide here in Northwest Washington. The loop is a wonderfully Scenic Drive encompassing the North Cascades, Lake Chelan, Skagit Valley and several other picturesque locations. I contribute images each year and was lucky to have an image on the cover of this years magazine.

Cascade Loop Magazine – Cover shot!

Amateur Astrophotography Magazine publishes a e-zine each month and here is an article and images of Night Sky Images.

Park Butte Lookout and Mount Baker

I hope you enjoy the articles and images and thank you for stopping by!

Glacier Peak Wilderness – Liberty Cap

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Andy Porter

Last August I hiked the Spider Meadow – Buck Creek Pass Loop.

Spider Meadows, Glacier Peak Wilderness

What a glorious hike!

We started at Spider Meadows,

And ended the trip at Buck Creek Pass.

Glacier Peak

We arrived at the Pass early in the day and waited for the sun to cool off a bit before we ascended the slopes of Liberty Cap and scouted for a place to camp with a view of Glacier Peak. This image is from that night.

The next morning before sunrise we made our way south along the ridge line, heading for High Pass.

The views of Glacier Peak were magnificent. sumptuous wildflowers and greener than green meadows invited us to relax and breathe in the air.